Late nite musings from a pop culture insomniac

Goodnight, Dave

And so it goes… In high school, I revered Dave’s Late Night, hippest thing on tv. Jokes would bomb, guests would bore him, and equipment, props etc would fail, and yet there it was, broadcast for all the world to see. Dave pioneered ironic detachment, and along with his then girlfriend Merrill Markoe, defined what comedy would be in the new century.

I stopped watching sometime after he moved to CBS, when he became more corporate, and less likely to hurl stuff off of a 5 story building in New Rochelle, or point out the ridiculousness of stores like ‘just bulbs’ and ‘just shades’. But after the announcement this week, I’ve spent the better part of a weekend reliving those glorious 80s shows thanks to YouTube. And also a very illuminating interview with Markoe on HowWasYourWeek.com.

I’m sure that I’ll tune in sometime near the end of his run to see the final goodbye shows, as stars and musicians line up to wish him farewell. He certainly couldn’t be expected to remain the same as he was in the 80s, and it’ll be good to see him off, much the way Carson was at the end of his tenure at The Tonight Show. Maybe, instead of Bette Midler, it’ll be Drew Barrymore flashing her breasts one last time as the cast of Cats sings ‘Midnight’.